Reflecting Reality
by yukai666
Summary: Set 6 months before her fall at the beginning of the game, Faith encounters several obstacles in her running career. Appearances of Jacknife and other characters in further chapters. R
1. The Birds and the Blues

Oh man, I havn't uploaded on here in such a long time. The last thing I uploaded was from when I was in 6th grade XD I deleted all prior stories. ANYWAYS! The first chapter to my fanfic =3 I have a gist of where this is going...a few key plot lines...not much. Hang in there!

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**Reflecting Reality Chapter One**

"Hurry, kid. Bird coming from the west."

"I'd like a challenge."

"I'm sure you would. Carrying M4-16s, full mags', class D. Make sure the bird doesn't spot ya', alright?"

"Roger, Merc."

Her movement strung threads of nimbleness, over rooftops, but always below radar. Slung over her right shoulder was a bright, yellow bag carrying messages, papers, packages to a client far to the northwest. Having a hard time trying to keep up to her quick jumps and leaps, the bag bobbed behind her, acting like a tail in the white light of the sun. She didn't notice. Concentrating on the barriers in front of her was her main concern. These rooftops weren't built for the average person to stroll along. There were no easy way outs. You had to be swift and responsive; otherwise the Birds and Blues would notice you, lock you up, and then goodbye autonomy.

"Listen to me Faith, they aren't going to play nice just because yer quick. Last weeks mess-up hasn't cleared yet, stay low. There's a building up a head, to the east. Take it."

"That will cost me minutes."

"Minutes or your head? Go east."

Faith veered right, bounding off the rooftop to an overpass nearly twenty feet below. She was finally starting to notice the weight of the bag, "What's the heat, anyways?"

"Message to White from Vasilis. You know Daniel Vasilis, his daughter was there from you last run. Had me thinking," he trailed off.

"Thinking?"

"Our next generation isn't up to par."

"What, I'm too old for you now?"

Merc chuckled, "No, Faith, Yer my best runner."

"I'm your only runner."

Keeping to the buildings, Faith scampered up two flights of pipes towards the sickly, blue sky above. Nothing better than a sunny day to keep you running. Not that the whether ever seemed to change; the skies always shined bright against the hot contrast of the ashen skyscrapers. Never a raindrop to burst this utopian bubble. Even the trees were white.

A rooftop door stood before her; without a second thought, Faith ruptured it's hinges with a solid kick and fled inside.

The walls, much like the outside, were a disgusting white that appeared to stretch everlastingly down the long hallway ahead of her. She continued her run down the corridor, taking an immediate left to a stairwell that looked quicker than the elevator across the hallway.

"Take the elevator."

"What?--"

"Now!"

Faith altered her flow so quickly that even Merc would have been impressed. From the urgency stuck to his vocal cords, she could tell that going into the building was a bad idea after all. Not only were there blues present, but there were much more than Faith could handle alone. Once she was safely inside the elevator she stumbled, "How many?"

"Seventeen. Go to the second floor. There are three there, the fewest of the rest. Yu'll have to find away around them. The floor plan is crazy, kiddo, search for the vents and we will go from there."

Faith darted from the elevator once it reached the second floor. Not only did she have to hurry, but she had to dodge bullets from a few subbies on the way. Not that she didn't like the challenge. Small, round drops of sweat began to swell on her forehead. She hadn't felt this much adrenaline in weeks, for every run she took was easier than it should have been. Her heart bounced off her lungs in a quick, cadenced motion with her breathing; everything focused on the doors ahead of her.

From behind, a mans shout was heard. She heard his never-been-used-gun click ready, ringing out warnings, telling her to stop running or he would shoot. As if she would. Every door she ran past was too heavy to kick down, sealed, or blocked. She had to find a door to open soon, or that man would drive a bullet right through her back.

She reached the end of the hall. Dead end. Another man's voice rang out from a door that she attempted to open prior. She hadn't time to think. Above her, hung a cat walk that lead back the way she came from. For now, this was her best choice.

This was an easy feet for Faith, she had done wall climbings plenty of times to know what to do. Her feet hit the wall across from the catwalk, she ran vertical, pushed gravity from her body then shot off the wall towards the footbridge. Easy.

Sudden pain. Not so easy. Before she got the chance to swing over the railing, she was shot. It wasn't a deep wound, more of a graze over her right forearm. But it injured her enough to lose grip of the railing. She had to ignore the sting now, she didn't have a choice. Now that the catwalk idea was out, she had to run back to the elevator, towards the two police men that were armed and ready.

Faith picked up speed, dodging a bullet that swerved far enough to miss. The first guard held the gun in front of him.

"Take the window, Faith," Merc chimed into her ear. "It's a long drop, but that's all you got."

Faith glanced to her right. The glass on the windows were thick, not breakable with her fists. Another gun shot grazed past her head. The closest guard was nearly fifteen feet away. Right then, a plan sketched quickly through her fast mind. The guard yelled at her, commanding her to give up. Faith smiled.

Delicately, Faith snaked her way towards the policeman, ducking right before his arm swung out to deck her. As his armed hand swayed above her head, she reached up and plucked the gun right from his hand. Followed by a crafty elbow jab under his jaw, the guard staggered back a couple of steps, somnambulated. Faith took this time to unload the remaining three bullets of the magazine into the window to her right.

"Nothing like improv'," Faith smirked.

The rest of the way out was easy, a few building leaps, edge hangings and pipe scalings until she was a safe distance from the Blues that were chasing her.

"How's the arm," Merc asked her.

"I've had worse."

"I guess I should have listened to you."

"Would have saved us a few minutes. But it was a challenge."

"That's my girl," He paused, "Head back to the hideout. I'll contact Drake; maybe Cel can finish the job. Don't want an injured runner on my hands."

Faith nodded, knowing he couldn't see her.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"You did good."

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Yes, pretty short =/ I just wanted to upload it. XD If anyone likes it, I will add more to the site. I will be writting more none the less, tho. =) Flames are always welcome ;D 


	2. Jacknife is on a Roll

Wahoo! =D I tried to make it longer. And there are prolly lots of typos so beware!

Replies:

Baggie - Thank you bunches!! I will hopefully keep yer attention! XD

proud shipper - I tried hard on Merc, so It was nice hearing that. And true, there should be more!! =D

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**Reflecting Reality Chapter Two**

The skies were rotten. Burns and scars dotted the dull blues and whites; dripping, peeling, tearing the cobalt above. From everywhere came shattering voices and heated breath; the last of the city, the city with faults, the city with life, was fading.

Two sisters, swallowed by the crowd and the screams, stood hand in hand. Looks of worry, confusion, desperation pulled at their small faces; tugging at the their fair complexions. One of them was crying. The other stood to watch with wide eyes and a tempered brow. A woman rushed to their side. Noticeably silent in the midst screaming, she gave the disheartened girl a pat on her head, a kiss on the cheek, and hand motion to stay put. The angry one scowled but understood.

Then a man, tall enough to swat the dust from the skies away with his hand, appeared behind the woman. He snatched her by the collar of her blouse and readied his club, both sisters screeched, grabbing for their mother,

"Hey kid,"

Faith sprung off the rugged, red couch. Her breaths were short and harsh.

"You looked like you were gunna' strangle yerself," Merc said, nervously. "I knew you needed the sleep, but I wasn't gunna have a suicide on my conscience."

Faith looked up from his humorous attempts at calming her down, clutching at her throat where pain was blistering. Her breathing hadn't slowed down yet, the dream felt too real. She hadn't experienced one in months but it seemed like years.

Merc handed her a paper cup, "Drink up, bet yer thirsty. How's the arm feeling?"

She took the cup, "Better, hadn't felt a thing until you mentioned it just now. What's up?" Merc smiled and turned his attention to the large collation of computer screens taking up much more space than needed be. Every monitor's face was cluttered with maps and numbers, and could make an average person dizzy. But Runners aren't average. Faith sat up from the bulky couch, having found a new aspiration to see what Merc was tracking on the blue computer screens than resting and recovering from her bad sleep.

"I sent Jacknife on an errand," he declared, tapping feverishly on one of several keyboards. "I would have sent you but…well, you were in a coma. Didn't wanna' disturb yer slumber," Merc chuckled. "--Yes, Faith is okay, Jack," he answered into his headset. "She puts up a bigger fight asleep than with the Blues," Merc laughed loudly.

"What's the message?" Faith asked, brushing off his remark on her fighting skills.

"Another one to White from Vasilis," he sipped from a cup of his own. "Vasilis doesn't know when he's broke, probably end up being another free run. Not good on my books, " Merc sighed. "But he's a good friend."

Faith peered down at the paper cup. She thought for a moment, then moved her attention back to Merc, "How's Marie?"

"Go through that door, Jack. No, I said go through the door. Christ, yer as stubborn as her." He turned to look at Faith, "Marie? Haven't heard much. Jack said he saw her on his way to White--yeah you--said she was with Alec."

Faith stared blankly at Merc's expressions. She had stopped paying attention a few sentences ago and wasn't planning on chiming back in anytime soon. "I think I'll go for a walk," she concluded., snatching an ear piece from the cluttered computer table. Completely entwined with Jacknife's arguing, Merc didn't respond, but waved her off with a free hand.

The city at night was an absolute contrast to the day. Everything went into shadow, and the quiet starts to sink in. All of this monitoring, and inspection prevents anyone from coming out at night; strict curfews for even the old folk. Except for the runners, of course. They stay undetected.

The stars in the dark sky flickered faintly while Faith fiddled with her ear piece. Her first instinct was to leave without the small radio connecting her to Merc, but then thought better of it from past experiences with the tiny tool. It was much more of a help to a runner on a mission, even one who's mind was focused on taking a walk. It kept you in contact with a network of maps and passage ways so even the highest skilled runner could make some use of the instrument.

Faith began to pick up some speed, gliding over the rooftops with polished leaps and hurdles. While the wind pulled through the strands of her dark hair, she thought and contemplated where to go and what to do. She hadn't taken a stroll around the city for far too long and her legs were aching to run farther than she had ever gone before. She transferred her weight slightly, turning her movement a morsel to the left; her path wasn't planned, just an proposal that her mind could fiddle down.

The skies before her were darkly defined alongside the pallid buildings. Faith peddled to a stop near the edge of the New Eden District when her earpiece chimed in.

"Shit, Faith, Jacknife is in some heat. Head south towards White's place, seems like our friend was at the wrong place at the wrong time…" Merc wasn't sounding like his normal self. His voice was strained to the point of disbelief. Faith considered questioning him but then thought better of it. "Get on it. I'll put you on tracker." The seriousness of the night changed drastically. Faith leapt from the New Eden District, heading south to God knows what. Merc had a way of keeping himself cool, rarely has he shown stress, or even have it coating his voice. Something was up, and that something wasn't good. As the buildings blurred past her, Faith heard another chime from her earpiece,

"Roald White's dead," Merc said resentfully. "I know you were itching to know. Keep it south, Faith." The single fizzled out as Faith kept her eyes in front of her, not daring to look anywhere else; her breathing increased, not just with her augmented running. As the years passed by throughout her running career, not once had she slipped into a murder. A few bats and bruises here and there, but their job wasn't unlawful enough to attract serious Blue attention. Serious homicides.

The sweat bucketing from her forehead was beginning to sting now. She had to get past the fact that White was dead; he wasn't the only candidate to make this place better. We still have Robert Pope. Chances were that Pope was going to beat White anyways, there's no reason to worry. Faith cursed at herself for thinking that positively. Sure, the city might still be okay, but White was gone now. Faith thought harder, thinking of the many relations that were connected to White. Was he a loved man? Did he have a wife? She couldn't find an answer.

Her running grew more rapidly, the wind twisting through her hair increased sharply and her breathing was becoming dangerously close to hyperventilation. Soon, she was coming into contact with the red and blue lights flashing off the city's walls.

"Jack's in the Teris Center, Faith. Right next to White's Building. Get him the hell outta there."

"I don't see why it's so hard for him to find the way out." Faith mumbled, mainly to herself.

"Blues are thick, security is in the red and the ass thinks he's too good fer the help," Merc sighed rigidly. "Go inside and snatch him out, he's on the seventh floor." His directions were clear enough; Faith leapt from one roof to another until she reached the top of the Teris building. "There should be a way in. The print says there's an open air vent to yer left." Faith replied with a quick thanks after finding the vent and ripping the screen off the opening. "Watch it, Faith. This one is a biggie. Don't know how Jack got into all of this." Faith agreed with his statement, then leapt down the vent.

The Teris Center was the headquarters for Teris Security. Starting several years ago, the Teris corporation created many of the advanced monitoring systems set up in public places around the city. Once Callaghan won the election years back, the Teris Cooperation was his first installment into the city. You can imagine why this place could be a hassle to snoop around in; seems like Jacknife wasn't able to find his way out from White's building. Perfect.

Through the maze in the air vents, Faith finally spotted an opening to a rather large orange room. She spotted a reception counter and a few over stuffed chairs lining the wall. The waiting room for complaints. Just because the Teris Cooperation made superior monitoring devices, didn't mean it was free of the break downs and screw-ups.

Faith glanced around the room after she landed on the floor, noticing the large security cameras in every corner of the room. As she was waiting for Merc to give her a hint on the next incentive, the door behind the reception desk flew open,

"Faithy! Didn't expect to see you here," Jacknife declared as he hopped over the reception desk. "Did Merc forward you to me? He knows I don't need any help."

"I'm sure you don't," she countered, crossing her arms while staring at him with a straight face. "And how did you get into this mess?"

Jack cracked a smile, "You know I play fair. Wasn't going to run away so quickly, ya know? Make them want me."

"I do know. I also know that what you've done wasn't smart, Jack. This could expose all of us.--"

"Enjoying the fluorescent lights?" Merc's voice tapped in her ear. "Get going. Both of you. Mosey yer way to the vent before a Blue spots you or yer in for one hellava treat." Faith nodded, looking to Jacknife.

"Hey, whatever the boss says," Jack said, flinging his hands up in the air. He passed Faith, heading for the vent.

Before either of them could make it to the air vent, a faint voice was heard from beyond the door Jacknife had burst through. Faith glanced quickly to her accomplice, noticing that he was already looking towards the door.

"You go, Faithy. I can take him down," he leered as he pulled a handgun from his belt, not a common weapon for a runner. Faith shook her head and told him that he could take the vent instead.

"Yeah, right. As if I would make the girl fight the Blues," Jacknife smiled again as he headed for the door. Faith grabbed his shoulder. Jack peered back to see the stress of her face and then concluded quickly that it would be better for both of them to go though the vent.

Faith leaped forward, grabbing the edge of the opened escape securely with her fingertips, while Jacknife made a foot hold for her feet. As soon as Faith was guaranteed a safe hold in the vent, she turned around to give Jack a hand. He wasn't there.

"Damn," Faith muttered to herself while she leaped back down to the floor of the reception room.

"Taking yer sweet time?" Merc chimed in her ear. "Blues are coming, Faith--"

"Jack ran off."

"I realized, and it's his ass. We tried to help, now get your own butt out of there," Merc commanded into her ear.

"No…I can't just leave him," Faith strained. "Keep me tracked, I'm going after him." Faith dashed towards the door that Jack went back through.

"The hell you are! Faith, listen, Blues are up the wazoo in here. It's not worth the risk. Jack is smart enough to get himself out."

"If that were true, you wouldn't have sent me in the first place," Faith rebutted. "I'm in the mess now and so I have to go find him." Once past the door, she turned into a long hallway with doors filling each side.

"No, Faith--" At that moment, Faith had taken the radio from her ear, stuffed it into a pant's pocket, then headed down the long hallway searching for an opened door that Jacknife could have rushed through prior.

Every wall was orange-and-white, further and further down the hallway the orange-and-white color scheme continued. Faith checked the corners and again noticed smaller cameras monitoring her every move. Half way down the hall and still no sign of a suspicious door or even the Blue she and Jacknife heard earlier. Things were beginning to get suspicious. Just then, an elevator near the end of the hall opened. Faith peered into in curiously, still being cautious of the cameras surrounding her, and saw that it was unoccupied. Faith thought hastily, her mind thinking through the different outcomes that stepping into the elevator could bring. 'The Blues were thick,' Merc had said.

As she took another glance into the elevator, her eyes were pulled upwards towards the small ceiling. A small vent--big enough to fit Faith, if not Jack--had been hand-opened. This was her opportunity. Faith stepped inside the elevator and made a clean jump for the edge of the opening; this time without the help of her compadre, and scuttled into the elevator shaft.

It was dark, so much that even the small light peeping from the opened vent below gave little to no help. Then a small noise from above began ticking away at the few seconds Faith had to react. She skimmed her sight upwards and pinpointed the obnoxious resonance coming from a floor above--the next elevator door was closing, and it was closing quickly.

Faith shot up into the air, grabbing the closet pulley she could find. The door that Jacknife must have went through only seconds before was coming to a close, and much too fast. Another second, Faith jumped to another rope. Then another rope. Clinging to the pulleys like they were life preservers, keeping her awayfrom the long drop below, the door was only a foot open now.

Faith swung gingerly from a rope and pounced off the wall opposite of the door, slowly, gradually and frozen in the air, so close to the closing door. And then she hit it. With only seconds remaining, Faith had slid her hand right between the closing elevator door. It immediately sprung open from her pressure; Faith sighed.

Not her favorite thing to do--speed racing against elevator's doors. Like every other option…it was a challenge.

And then the click of a readied-gun was heard; lined against the pulse of her temple.

"Bang. Could'a blown yer brains out, Faithy." She turned slowly towards the voice. "Won't you be more careful?"

"Jack! We don't have time for this," Faith sputtered after she disarmed him with a single swipe. Jacknife smirked from the sudden agression. He snatched the gun from the girl and placed it back into his belt.

"And yer much different? You came flailing after me like you were some love-sick puppy!" Jack countered slyly as he walked slowly around her, towards a door on the right.

"Love sick?!" Faith laughed loudly to herself. "Riding high on that stallion aren't you?"

Jacknife shrugged off the remark and pointed with his thumb to the door behind him, "You know what this is, Faithy?" He asked, placing much more emphasis on the added syllable at the end of her name. "It's Vasislis's office. You know, the good friend of White's?" He walked casually back to Faith, prompting her with his hand gestures. "Broke as a stump, scrawny of a man? He had high bets that White was gunna win."

"Wait…Vasilis works for the Teris Corp?" Faith asked aloud, ignoring the storyline Jack was illustrating.

He wavered her question, "He had high hopes that White was gunna cream Pope. Now all his nonexistent money is gunna wash down the nonexistent tubes." Jack placed a hand close to his handgun. "Vasilis was once a rich man, ya' know. Marie and him had more money than White and Pope--combined--could ever get a hold of."

Faith watched Jacknife move from one side of the brightly furnished room to the other. Counting his steps, watching his expressions. Why would Vasilis be working for Teris? This wasn't adding up and he wasn't answering the right questions. "But Vasilis...he can't work for Teris, he's our client." Faith concluded, taking a step towards Jacknife's position.

"Aw, but that's were yer wrong," he strolled over to Faith, stopped and gazed at her confused face. "Vasilis has been keeping track of us. Ever sense the fall of the stocks half a year ago, he has been pinching everything he can for the extra money. Got a job here," Jack flipped his arms into the air, smiling at Faith. "they offered high pay and good hours. Vasilis needed the money. He took the job." His arms dropped back down to his sides, one of them hovered over his gun.

"But if Vasilis is so close to White, why has he been asking us to send messages for him?" Faith contradicted Jack's conclusions. "He could have done everything himself. Less money to give."

"Like I said, he's been monitoring us." Jack slid his unoccupied hand to Faith's ear. "Monitoring us through Merc-u-ry." He dropped his hand and took out his own earpiece. Faith thought about everything Jacknife had said so far. Things were starting to make sense now; slowly, but starting. "Vasilis needs the money. So he takes the money."

"The money from Teris."

"The money from Teris," Jack echoed.

Faith placed her hand on her ear, much like Jack had done, and thought curiously. "But why would Teris need to know about us?"

Jack smiled as he brushed his index finger under her chin, "I can't give you all the answers," Faith took in a sharp intake of air, shooting back from him. "Where's the fun in that? And I would check that earpiece. I bet Merc is in a tizzy about yer sudden rebellion." he smiled cynically and turned towards a window on the opposite side of the room while Faith fished out the earpiece from her pants pocket.

"Merc--"

"Shit, Faith. First you tell me yer worried about Jack and then you leave me hangin' in mid jump?! Yer butchering m--."

Faith cut him off, "I need to talk to you…without the earpiece. Something is up, not a good something either." Faith waited for a response when she noticed that Jacknife wasn't in the room anymore; a window hanging ajar from the other side of the room was the only evidence of his departure.

"Whatever sinks yer ship. Just get back to base, Jack can kick the bucket for all I care. I need you back here pronto, got that?" His voice was sharp and slick. Faith wasn't in a good mood to argue and knew that he was right.

"I'll be there quicker than you can say 'A Runner's best friend is her tracker'." Faith leaped out the window into the dark city's silence, buoyant as a Runner itching for the biggest challenge she can get.

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OKaaaa!! Just so ya know....: "**Jacknife**; A former decent runner who Faith seems to not get along with. Faith sees him only for information regarding the Pope case. _It is implied through out the game that he and Faith had some sort of relationship in the past; romantic or not, it is never elaborated upon._" /wiki/Characters

Ima have some fun with that ;D And alsoooo, I am getting my wisedom teeth removed in the next few days, so chapter three might be some time =/ Thanks to any readers/reviews! =D


	3. All Downhill From Here

A/n

Wahoo! (been like, 5 years o__o Okay, maybe not.) Onto the thanks!

proud shipper: REALLY? O_O WOW! I suppose the ME fan-base isn't the biggest. So, that would make sense that we might bump into each other sometime XD Haha! And thank you =)

Still Bullet: I'm glad ya like it 8D And I'm sorry about being such a typo-whore .__. I really need to re-read some of the stuff I write XD Hopefully, this chap is a bit cleaner!

1914000: I think I owe the most thanks to you XD If you didn't review, I don't think I would have even remember to upload chap 3 XD Thanks!

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**Reflecting Reality Chapter Three**

The soaring skyscrapers blanketed the city with their shadows; the sun was setting, the people progressing and the existence dying. The citizens had accepted the changes, acknowledged the ruler and his iron fist, the iron swathe, the iron curtain, all knowing that life was no longer a life self-lived. Things were heard and things were ignored. Things were found and things were lost. Things were sold and things were spent. All things were watched with an iron eye. Even the thoughts parading through the mind were kept safe from the public psyche, things never passed the Iron eyes and his men without chastisement.

A runner chose a different life. Nothing was monitored, nothing was controlled. They were freer than birds in paradise, in a utopia of lush greens and blues. Or reds and whites. They sink into the flow of the city, fast and skillful, almost angelic; holding control and not being obtained by it. When they run they are taken to another place. The scenery wraps around them like a tight world pool of new life and new adventure. They had to find the flow of the city, the center movement, and keep to the highest waves always staying right out of reach.  
The sound of the city's weep was recoiling off every wall of the buildings, much like Faith was as she jumped from one scaffold to the next; this time her ear was unequipped, listening to a different rhythm. Without Merc buzzing into her ear, things seemed different. Now that her mind wasn't concentrating on the mindless blue-chatter Merc was feeding her, she could listen to the talking and the bustling of those below her.

A stout man, roughly the same age as Faith and a tad shorter, was shuffling through a newspaper under her self-made rooftop pathways. He grumbled to himself while he filtered through the adds and editorials, searching for something not known to Faith. When he spotted his specific article, he grumbled again and sieved though the words; meanwhile Faith had began concocting different introductions and aquentances she could provide as backup props. She glanced down to the man, he had found a cozy spot on a bench across the Financial District. It was just a hop-skip across the parkway, and then the simple confrontation, accusations, and then a hasty get-away.

The man's name was Alec. He had a thing for newspapers, they were the written books of the city's performances. Have you ever wanted to know the best monitoring system out to date? Check the newspaper. How bout the most nutritious breakfast-fast-food? The newspaper knows. Everything from clothes to money, hair products to cameras, the newspaper can tell you; and just like any other man-made gadget, it was not friends with the few runners left circling the city. Right next to the stock exchange, smack under the Teris adds, Runner specifics ran down the page so quickly, that even a Runner herself would trip over her own feet reading them. It listed protections, defenses, trapping mechanisms and even ways to keep your children far from the evils of Running. The funny thing however, is that there are only four runners in this city. Four against thousands, if not millions of civilians. What was the big deal?

Alec continued to study his newspaper as Faith hopped down to the pavement below her. She shuffled though the street quickly, not bothering to find a crosswalk, and made her way in front of the man. Alec looked up as he noticed something blocking his white sunlight, saw who it was, then shifted his eyesight back down to the paper.

"I need to talk to you," Faith proclaimed. She shifted her weight across her waist to her other foot. "About White." Alec didn't look up, his eyes stared blankly at the newspaper before him. "Look, I know your upset, but we need to talk."

"I'm not upset." He shot back at her, eyes still glued to the paper. "Get the hell away from me."

Faith swayed gingerly on her feet. She looked down to the watch clung to his wrist, then looked back up to his face. "Everybody knew he was a good guy, Alec. He was doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" This caught his attention. Alec swung the paper from his hands and shot himself up into the air. He glared up to her, noticed the height difference, then turned his head to spit on the ground. "My father was not doing the right thing. If he knew better he wouldn't have even tried."

Faith stepped back, and gazed up into the white light. The sky stretched further in this district, possibly further than West Arlington and New Eden combined. The sun had barely reached over the horizon which told her the time of day. "White...and Pope, both, had good intentions. If anything, you should feel--"

"Don't tell me how to feel," Alec cut her off. He looked down to his wristwatch, then back to her. The hot morning sun was pushing bullets of sweat from his forehead. His light, colored hair was paling from the brightness enveloping the city; his eyes on the other hand, stayed dark and deranged much like his mood. He glared down at his wristwatch again. "I don't have time for this."

"Merc told them you wouldn't be there. The meeting's canceled." She looked again at his watch, "Did Marie give that to you?"

"What is it with you damn Runners? Snooping through everyones own business and expecting us to give you answers?" He snatched his paper from the bench then turned to look at the accused Runner. "Why the hell does it matter to you? Go bug someone else." Alec snapped a dirty look at Faith, turned east towards the sun then disappeared around a corner. Faith sighed as she kicked a small pebble on the sidewalk. It would seem that talking to Alec White would be a bit harder than she or Merc had anticipated.

Off in the distance, a siren screeched through the dry air. Faith stole a hasty glance to the noise, then scuffled off towards any path that would lead her closer to the sky. Blue heat was not something she wanted to fiddle in today, especially with out Merc's eyes by her side. She sought out for a nearby ladder that lead to the roof tops, leaving no trail as she went.

Alec had his own buisness to attend to and whether Faith decided to crash his party and retort upon Merc's orders, was definitely not up to Merc. She perched herself over the edge of a renovated strip mall, trailing a couple of blues with her eyes, and weighed her options. Without her ear piece and trusty vision of the blues, the journey could be a very difficult one; however, if she wanted to get to the bottom of this Vasilis deal, she had to tail him quickly. Merc on the other hand, could easily disown her (for lack of a better word), from the frequent mis-doings and rebellious behaviors. But White is dead, plain as pudding, and the tip off Jacknife gave her was all she had to cling to. She realized how much of a mistake it was having told Merc the details, she would kill for a little privacy in her future endeavors.

Just then, the same stout man, roughly the same age as Faith and a tad shorter, came into Faith's view. His facial expression was violently contorted into a whirlwind of frustration and his eyes blazed onto Faith's face. A newspaper was crinkling under his white knuckles. To Faith's fortunate surprise, Alec had decided to accept the interview with opened-arms...well, an opened mind at least.

"Don't expect me to crawl all the way up there!" He snarled at Faith, who merrily bounced down to the sidewalk.

"Glad to have you with us," Faith smiled, swaying her weight onto the balls of her feet.

"Glad to serve the adversary." Alec did not return the smile.

The large painting of Alec and his connections to family members slowly began to coloring itself in. After his long explanation of his father's intentions as mayor (adding in a few sighs of defeat in his Blue-sided-cause), he told the group about his father's connection to Teris as well.

"Teris wasn't always seen as a totalitarian corporation," Alec said. "It was a company based on unity and trust. Teris made cameras for home videos or your kid's baseball games; maybe for your mom's remarriage too." Faith stole a glance at Jacknife, who looked rather uninterested. "Once Callaghan became mayor, he turned the corp. into what it is today." Alec paused, waiting for any of them to say something. They didn't dare loose the vital moment of such constant speech from Alec, he was known not to talk much. "Teris isn't the only one, which I'm sure you know, my work has converted to its ways as well."

"I would think you would be happy for that," Jacknife interjected, obviously finding more interest in the topic.

Alec froze to silence, his eyes darkened. "Y-your the one...who..."

"Killed yer dad, yadda, yadda." Jack mumbled, flinging his hand through the thick air.

"What?!" Came a screechy response from Faith.

"Faithy, this guy has had it in for me since the get-go," Jack explained. "Don't be surprised if he targets you next." He finished with a glance towards Merc, who had been keeping quiet for the majority of the conversation.

"Continue?" Merc's suggestion was the most civil response of them all.

Alec's appearance had changed from nervous to furious. His sudden realization of Jacknife being in he same room as him had triggered his hatred. Alec's resentment towards the Runners started a while back. Jacknife has been known to be very irresponsible and a trouble-maker when it came to women. One clear summer day, Jack had so-irresponsibly snatched Marie from the streets while she was with Alec--due to a dare by a fellow Runner--and scared Alec half to death. Marie, on the other hand, ignored her boyfriend's vivid anger towards her new liking for the Runners.

_Wow, did you see how he took me to the rooftops, Alec? The view was amazing!_

H_e could have dropped you! Marie, you would have been killed by him!_

And from that point forward, Jacknife had been marked on Alec's radar of mistrust. Not to mention Marie's radar of affection. Jack has always ignored Marie, telling her he was interested in someone else. Figures.

Merc broke the long silence with another prompt for Alec to continue. This time, the stout man cleared his throat and went forward with his explanation. "As I was saying," He began, taking a quick tempered look at Jacknife's smug expression. "Many companies have converted their ways to Callaghan's rule. Only a few companies have stayed the old way they were. One of them being Vasillis' starter company: Ganner Tech."

Faith snuck a glance at Jacknife, remembering what he had told her a few days ago.

"Vasilis was a rich man," Faith included, hoping to gain some brownie points. "He lost his money from the stocks." She caught Jack throwing a complacent smile towards her.

Alec nodded then turned his sight to Merc, who graciously continued the conversation. "Yes, Faith. When Vasilis had his fair share of money, he created Ganner Tech. It is a company dedicated to enhancing our technology one step at a time," Merc said sarcastically, shifting in his seat. He swiveled his chair around to the computers behind him and did a quick search to locate the company. "It is in the Aquarian District, east of here. A very thick-blue zone; a lot of the non-conformists like to plot revenge down there," he smiled at the rest of them then turned back to his keyboard. "Like you said, Faith, Vasilis got deep in debt once the stocks rolled by. He had to sell the company...and to a very good friend I might add."

"Roald White," Jack perked in.

A silence rolled over the group. They all looked over to Jacknife who looked like he was starting to regret his sudden participation in the discussion. He pushed his hand through his dark, short hair and told Alec to go on; however, Alec only glared coldly at Jack. Faith took this opportunity to ask the question that no one wanted to ask, "But now that White is...gone...what happens to the company?" No response. The tension was pressing against them so much that it was getting hard to breath in the small hideout.

Jacknife cleared his throat, "Well, I'm out." He looked over to Faith, asking her to come with him with his eyes. She looked around to the rest of the group then back at Jack, nodding. She would do anything to get out of this mess. They hopped up through the vent on the ceiling, leaving Merc and Alec to wallow in the hot tension themselves.

The daylight was stunning, shinning lustrously on every glass pane of the buildings. Faith felt the heat of the sun wave over her, breathing through her hair. She looked down at her hands, then up into the blinding light. Jacknife leaned against a scaffold and peered up into the skylight as well. Their bodies relaxed and they felt at ease. Memories of Faith and her sister came flowing from her long blocked memories. Kate was smiling a toothless smile; around them was chaos everywhere but when they looked at just one another, they felt calm and happy. The sun peeked through the grey clouds, Kate's face was drawn to the sudden light and her smile grew bigger. She looked down to her sister and as quickly as it came, the light disappeared behind the veil of darkness.

Faith looked away from the sky while Jack mirrored her movement and smiled at her. She smiled back though not consciously, her mind was elsewhere. She walked over to the edge of the rooftop, staring out into the buildings and the sky that backdropped the whole city. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Funny, something so clean can be so cruddy," he was whispering. Faith took note of his hand, then drifted back into her memories. Another hand took its place, much larger, much heavier.

_Take care of your sister._

Faith whipped around to see a surprised Jack, tipping back on the heels of his feet. "Whoa, Faithy, a little warning next time?" He sputtered, putting his hand back on her shoulder for support. Faith felt her face turn hot and turned back around towards the city. "What is going on? A little tipsy from the sun?" Jack joked, taking his hand away.

"My Father, he...," she trailed off. Jacknife scooted around her so he could see her face, he waited. Faith fell silent for a few seconds then looked over to Jack. "You have something...right there," she pointed to her own cheek. Jack flung his hand up to his face, flustered and confused. He attempted to smudge off the black mark but failed. "Here, just a second." Faith ventured her hand through the air towards his face, Jack recoiled back from her hand.

"Are you crazy or something? The sun must really mess with yer head." He pointed to his own head and laughed. Faith huffed, then stuck her hand quickly onto his cheek.

"Leave a man to not know when to listen." She dabbed the spot with her thumb and wiped it clean. "Much better."

Jacknife looked violated, "leave a woman to not know when she is turning postal." Faith stuck her tongue out playfully, then propped her hands on her hips. The sun was starting to dip low into the sky. Thick colors of orange and pink whirled through the clouds and glowed like sugar-flavored puffs of cotton candy. The warm wind was dying down and the sound of the city was slowing and quieting. The two runners looked out into the large expanse of towering superstructures. Not a thing in the world could touch them now, a sense of happiness and peace wrapped around their chatter and jokes, creating a shield against all harm. Jack told stories, unfolding a tale of a short man who coincidently looked a lot like Alec White. Then painted a picture of the beautiful maiden, who also seemed to refer a certain someone. Faith chuckled from Jacknife's explanation on Alec and Marie's love tale. "Must have met in the Hamptons or something," he joked, laughing along with Faith. "They definitely have one thing in common."

"Hm?"

"Hatred for the third-class," he smiled. "And don't get me started on their sex life." Jacknife stole a glance at Faith's contorting face of laughter and nearly fell over from his own laughter as well.

* * *

A/N

Now, I just have to try and remember the plot for this fanfic o_o I think I have the plot sketch somewhere...but I just added too many ppl for even me to keep up with XD Hopefully the next part will be up sonner than this part was! Thanks for reading

Remember, flames are always welcomed ;)


	4. It's not all about the Job

A/N An update in less than a month? O_O *feels very proud of herself* Okay! Surprised I could upchuck 3500 words so quickly XD On to the thanks!

Admiral Sanchez - Kinda off? Agh, well hopefully this chapter...is more on? XD I'm glad you are liking it otherwise!

1914000 - ;D You are predicting the future right now! I added in some JackxFaith fluff at the end :D w00tness

BUNNEYH - Hazzah, hell yes! XD They are, I think, meh fave video game couple :3

hero5674suprrok - D: Plot spoiler-er!! Naw XD But the relationship is gunna follow that scheme :) I have the love plot all figured out, there is actually a reason for them breaking up! Muahaha! :D

Maddy - Thank you ever so much for the sweetness x3 Makes me feel really happy! I'm glad you like it so far :D

* * *

**Reflecting Reality Chapter Four**

Hair blowing in the wind, Faith shot from one building to the next. Questions about last night's discussion with Alec played on her mind as she skidded to a stop near the edge of the Aquarian District. The days of her Running Career were picking up and she knew they were not going to slow to a decent anytime soon. She clicked her tongue impatiently and looked down to the busy streets below her.

The Aquarian District was full of life and at the same time sadness. Before totalitarianism befell upon the city, The Aquarian District always appeared friendly and welcome. Shops lined the edge of the streets, selling foods and home-made crafts with a bohemian feel for any who were interested. It was a place of rhythm and happiness; streets clapping of Birkenstocks and a vibe that whistled through the air. Now, the district darkened. The flow of the block subsided and the chatter subdued. Life still pulsed though the streets, but the soul had disappeared.

Towering against the skyline, Ganner Tech. empowered a sense of security to anybody in the right seat of government. To anyone like Faith however, it encumbered a sense of dejection and fear. A hand fell onto her shoulder in hopes of soothing her anxious thoughts but was soon removed despite her need for the comfort. Merc told her of the uneasy feelings he was feeling himself and stepped to the edge of the building right beside her.

"Been awhile since I was touring the streets," Merc remarked, looking apprehensive. "Don't leave me in the tracks."

Faith smiled at him, then looked around her other shoulder to see a rather disconcerted Jacknife. He faked a smile at her then followed Merc's line of sight to the large building in front of them, his face paled to a light shade of blue. "We could have done this without the help of this old geezer." Jacknife mumbled, obviously disappointed in the addition to their team.

Merc made a quick glare at Jacknife which read: 'I am here because yer not trusted to do the job, thank you very much. Now stop playing princess and work. ' and hopped down to a building's roof top below the other two. Jacknife gazed at Faith with a shrug of his shoulders and followed down after him.

"We'll have to get to the third floor. Not to hard with Celeste tracking us, but the birds are out and the heat is thick." Faith nodded, feeling the earpeice which was reinstalled with private tracking-devices, and skidded down beside him; with her back against the sun, she felt almost claustrophobic in the open spaces of the sky. Jacknife noticed her anxiety and coaxed her with a few basics,

"Ganner Tech. was passed onto White, remember?" He prodded, brushing a few strands of hair out of Faith's eyes. Taken aback, Faith fixed onto Jack's eyes and confirmed with a nod; pushing her own hair back as a way of saying not to touch it. He smiled at her and continued, "But now that White kicked the bucket, passionately fighting back I might add, who is it passed onto?"

Faith's quick mind thought of the answer at once, "Alec." Merc turned to glare at them both, looking annoyed from the set back and then added his own opinion:

"Alec made an obvious oops," he said as Faith threw him a quizzical look. "His first explanation was that _his_ work, Ganner Tech., converted to Callaghan rule. Later, he had it in him to say the opposite." He motioned them to keep walking, as they were just milling around. "He was covering something up--You love-birds need to get a room." Merc announced noticing Jacknife teasing Faith. "What?!" Faith interjected as a thin sheet of red spread from her forehead to her chin. Jacknife smirked and grabbed her shoulders tentatively,

"Awe, maybe your little crush on me is more than I assumed."

"Back off!" she retorted, pushing him off her while sending crazy vibes to Merc. The leader chuckled back at her and marched forward near the side of a balcony connecting to a floor near the top end of the building.

"Let's do this."

Unlike most of the skyscrapers littered among the city, Ganner Tech. presented a different air to breathe for its customers. The walls presented a change from pristine white, to a warm beige, and the atmosphere brought cheery smiles and happy workers. That is, untill the fear welled up in their eyes when trouble came around--ie: the Runners. Ganner made a point of hiring the beautiful receptionists and the hard-working men. Very stereotypical, but that was what the company represented: stereotypical life for the techno-logic industry.

The way in was easy enough--only a hop-skip from balcony to an inconspicuous window-pane (removable, of course), and they were in. Celeste directed Faith and Jack to go down the east hallway until they found an elevator which would take them to their destination. Merc, however, was to go the back way to clear the area of unwanted-blues; hinting that he had more skill to take the job. When Faith and her accomplice were in the elevator, she had a few seconds to probe Jack for a couple more answers, "Alec works here then? On the third floor?" "No, we're heading for Marie's office first." He responded, looking around the small spaces of the elevator with a smug expression. Faith felt disheartened that she was not informed of the details and had to force them out of Jacknife. "Now, where were we?" He suddenly turned his body towards her and tipped her face up with a finger under her chin. Too staggered to jump away—the elevator did not permit the space anyway—she took in a quick intake of air and reddened. "Now that the geezer is gone, why not have some fun?"

Faith was saved when the elevator door chimed to the third floor. Jackknife was off of her quicker than she could think and a young lady, with light hair and a small build, was waiting on the other side of the elevator doors. As they shuffled out of the elevator and she walked in, Faith planned to turn around and get another look at the lady when Jacknife grabbed her arm in attempt to sway her away, "Let's go."

When they were far enough into the building, Jack pulled her aside and explained the rush, "If they look at us too long, their small brains will notice who we are." he informed her while tapping his own head. Faith glared down to his hand, which was still securely wrapped around her arm, and he removed it promptly. "Don't want to set off the alarm based on our looks."

The two of them found themselves in a small coffee room off the main hallway. Peeping outside the threshold, Jacknife swished back into the room as an employee walked by barely noticing the two Runners. Faith wondered to herself why they were using the busy hallways for their route as she followed Jack's lead out of the inlet.

"Can't we—"

"No," he interrupted, sliding into an empty office space. "Every back-way is high-time monitored--as if they are watching only places we would go." Faith followed him closely, afraid to create too much attention. "Cel wants Merc to take the back-ways because of his _experience_. Load of bull, if you ask me."

Jacknife stalled in front of a door and waited for Faith to get closer before he knocked. This area of the offices seemed busier than usually and Faith felt a sense of claustrophobia again as the door opened abruptly. A very petite girl, looking to be no older than twenty, gazed at the two Runners excitedly and widened the door so they could come in.

"Jack!" She exclaimed, bustling to her seat behind one of two desks. The other two awkwardly walked into the cramped room and dawdled in front of her desk. Faith glanced to the other desk which remained employee-less and then looked to her companion who looked rather full of himself. "'Bout time ya' got here!" She offered them both a seat but Jacknife declined,

"No time for small talk, Marie, we need access to Alec's office." Her face contorted sadly as he stated his business and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, but no can do." Marie replied, digging through one of her desk drawers and then bringing out a key. Jack groaned and rubbed his temples impatiently while she donned a smile cheerfully. "That is…unless you have finally decided to give me the right answer."

Jack shook his head and grabbed Faith's shoulder. Confused, Faith gawked at the both of them waiting for more information to fly out of their mouths. "This is the one," he stated, shaking Faith's shoulder jestingly. "There is really no chance in the world it will be you."

Marie pouted but still wore her smile, "Alas, I suppose you can't help a lost cause." She stood up from her chair and walked around the desk towards the Runners. All this time, Faith felt completely baffled and in turn, hated feeling left in the dark.

"What are you getting at?" Faith inquired, brushing off Jack's hand and walking forward to Marie.

"Oh, your Runner friend, here, and I are discussing grown-up things. You really wouldn't understand," Marie giggled, handing the key to Jacknife and making her way back to the desk. Faith widened her eyes with offense, she had to be the same age as this trite lady. Turning to the person of more interest, Marie said, "You better get going, Alec will be back in fifeteen minutes from Teris," she checked her watch and restated, "Make that ten."

Faith was about to deck her when Jacknife grabbed her arm once again and dragged her out of the office. As they were located on the third floor, Jacknife knew the way up wouldn't be easy--going as fast as they were, attention was sure to be directed towards them. He was feeling the heat of irritation swell up his insides as he forced out, "Merc should be there by now," Jack informed, picking up pace when he saw no one in sight. Faith confirmed his prediction with a nod and flailed behind him with trouble; having her arm chained to Jack made running difficult.

"At least let go," she commanded to her Runner friend, who stopped mid-step and shot a glare back at her. He swung her around the corner to an uninhabited cubical and smashed her into the flimsy wall. He gripped her upper arms with both of his hands, not loosing his hold as he spat out:

"Listen, don't try to pull another stunt like that around me," Jack heaved, anger stretching from forehead to chin. He dipped his head close to hers with exhaustion and breathed. Faith stood there, thinking about bouncing him off of her, but thought better of it. "Faithy…Faithy…we need to focus here. And you ready to smack Marie's face is not in the plan." Not taking his hands off of her, he swayed his head over the edge of the cubical to look at his surroundings.

Faith listen to him with keen insights as her ear-piece buzzed with excitement. Ignoring the frustrated yaps from Celeste, she slowly moved her arms out of his grasp and cupped his chin while a smile donned on her lips.

"Really, you should take Respiradol," she announced, pressing her fingers into his tattooed jaw line. Jacknife leaned away from her, took her hand in his and sighed. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, listening to the small chatter around them; could people hear their conversation? He shook his head slightly and said,

"Leave it to a woman to deal with someone like me."

"Leave it to a man to get angry," she grinned while he smiled back at her. "No more hulk-knife, okay?"

* * *

Following Celeste's orders, Faith and Jacknife quickly--and safely--made their way up to the top floor. After probing information from her fellow Runner, Faith gathered a few key points towards the reason they were crashing Alec White's office. As the son of a Politician, Alec worked not too far away from politics himself. He was a high coordinator in totalitarian rule; in lay terms, a man with too much power for the the city's present condition. "He organizes all the big gigs," Jacknife informed her as they ducked out of employee-view. "You know the rebel-riots a few years back? He planned the blues' defense.

"Alec White's not just big in politics though; since his dad was a successful self-made-man, Alec could get whatever he damed well asked for. He ordered the craziest shit: grenades, pistols, anything with a kill-price, then turned them around with higher prices. 'White-stamp-of-approval' he called it. Bunch of lies, of course, but if he jousted it, people wanted it" Jack retold the story to her as they rode a lesser-used elevator to the seventh floor. "Now, Daddy White never caught onto any of this,"

"He was dealing under the table?" Faith interjected, trying to follow Alec's life-story-map.

"Yep, old White never knew his son was using the family name so cheaply. I'd say it was a way to get back at him, Alec never like his Pop anyway." The elevator dinged and they stepped out, scanning their surroundings. "We need to go to another elevator, this one would take us right to a deep patch of blues," Jack said, echoing Celeste's orders.

"Why didn't Cel go with us instead of Merc?"

"I already said, Merc has more _experience_." Faith looked at him whimsically as he replied. She wondered how long Merc had been a Runner and had the thought to ask, but was cut off as Jacknife swung her around a corner. "Dammit, Cel, are you even watching the cameras?!" Ahead of them, three well-armed blues came bustling down the hallway, mumbling to one another about a Runner on the twelve floor. Faith thought immediately of Merc and shot her sight to Jack.

"We have to get up there!" She nearly screamed, grabbing onto Jacknife's arm in attempt to get moving. She noticed his stubbornness and let go of him on her own accord; Merc was important, and listening to this guy yap was not in her plans. She swerved around the corner after the blues passed and shot down the hallway towards the east stairwell. A slew of cuss words could be heard behind her and she smiled from noticing Jack was following her. It was Faith's turn now, she would show everyone that she had what it took.

Runners are athletic, yes, but even sprinting up five flights of stairs can ware someone out. When she pushed open the red door on the twelve floor, her breathing deepened as Jacknife caught up to her, "Enough hero for one day, Faithy." He walked out in front of her and strode towards a larger receptionist area with confidence. "Before you try to out-run me again, at least know where you are going."

Faith cursed to herself as she followed Jack into the lobby. The faint sound of a fountain played softly against the warm walls of Ganner Tech. She glided to the edge of the lobby to see a large circular staircase twine up to the floor she was on now. Below her, people--millions of people--shuffled up the stairs and onto the floors below. Everything seemed so clam and happy. She almost considered switching her job to this location if it wasn't for the state of government. She smiled at herself for thinking such things. "Welcome to Ganner Tech.," Jacknife chimed, showcasing the building with the swing of his arms. "Home to the slaves which run modern-technology." He turned his back to the large staircase and rested his elbows on the railing. "So, are we going to gawk at our surroundings, or do what needs to be done?" Faith mocked him playfully, he smirked then led the way to Alec's office with a certain flare about him. She followed contently, looking back at the novel building with dignity.

Alec's office was not hard to miss, not only did several temps inform them of the office's location oblivious to their true motives, but the huge name of White plastered on a very, beautifully burnished door could give anything away. Faith was lucky to see Merc unharmed, sipping on a paper cup of coffee, enjoying his free time.

"Bout time you too got here," he scoffed, putting the coffee down on a nearby end-table. "Blues were parading this floor a second ago, good thing I can pull off being a worker here." (the dress ware at Ganner was very lax) He prompted Jacknife for the keys and Merc got to work quickly on the doorknob. Faith peered around her shoulder nervously and whispered, "Won't they...see us?"

"Bunch of dumb-fucks," Merc incited blatantly. "They can't tell the difference between a bunch of Runners and janitors. Just have to make sure yer quick, and it's smooth sailing." The door made a small click and they were in. Faith still felt helpless for information and this time, she wasn't going to let it slide. "_Why_ are we here?"

"What? You don't know?" Merc asked, peering over to Jacknife. Jack shrugged his shoulders and Merc looked back over to Faith. "Alec's got major dibs on the city's political outcomes. A little smooth talking and he can get anyone elected." Merc crossed the room to the lone desk. Everything was organized, from pencils to papers; Alec was a very proud clean-freak.

"Then what are we going to get from his office?" Faith inquired.

"This." He held in his hands a small USB drive. "Everything we want is on here. Cel, got the drive, get us the hell out of here."

Before she even realized the vagueness throw upon her, Faith could feel the hot sun spitting onto her back. She looked around and noticed they were back in the Aquarian district from earlier that day.

* * *

The roof of the hideout was becoming very familiar to Faith. She scuttled over to the edge of the building and swallowed a big breath of city air; things were looking brighter. As she pondered about her Running career, a swift gust of wind teased her short, black hair. Jacknife's voice murmured from behind her, "Beautiful, isn't it?" Faith figured he was mentioning the skyline--dark blues enveloped the sky with a fading orange lining the horizon.

"Not like you to comment nicely about this city," Faith smirked, turning her head from the sky to look at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment, then he changed his sight to the arriving star light.

"City or no city, beautiful." Faith rose an eye brow as she glanced to the sky and back to him; his eyesight was back on her. "You know, you really should think about getting better clothes," Jack stated without regret; he walked up close to her and played with the hem of her tank-top. Faith blushed with discomfort and wondered if he could see the color.

Jack sighed quizzically and moved his hands to her nape of her neck with ease. Feeling surprised, Faith leaped away from his warm hands and soon after, felt remorse for her sudden action. He smiled at her, but Faith could not make-out his expression; the darkness was making their features harder and harder to see. "Scared, Faithy?" He prompted, getting closer to her again while soothing her with words. "I'm not going to bite."

She felt his hands stroke her collarbone and tried to steady her breathing. This wasn't like her, she could handle anything. But for some reason, when around this guy, her defenses went right out the window. Although rough, his hands moved like putty on her skin, slowly, slowly, shifting up to her burning face. He commented on the heat blazing from her skin: "Damn, you sure are hot for me." Faith cringed after his statement and felt the happy feelings sizzle away. She blanched as she backed away from his touch, feeling disappointment in her interest in him. She turned away from him stubbornly and thought childishly about pushing him off the building. She would love to here the thick splat when he hit the bottom.

Jack looked confused but proceeded to loop his hands around her waist and buried his face next to her ear. "Don't take it personally," he breathed, taking in the fresh smell of her hair. Faith numbed, she was angry at him, yes, but the physical closeness between herself and Jacknife made things turn upside down. She felt warmth, contentedness, love. All things her unconscious had been screaming for, pleading for; finally she gave in. Choosing to become a Runner puts too much space between the Runner and her personal needs; Jacknife was here to shorten that gap. She let herself go.

* * *

A/N :D Happy fluff. I have to ask any potential readers this question: how far should their relationship go? Yes, they will end up together and all that love-ing-ness, but I need a good view of the age of the audience o__o I dont want to write an epic lemon for 10-year olds. Hahaha, I'm such a perv. But yes, I am curious to how explicit this should be? Keep it at the stuff I have now? (touching, kissing?) Or go more indeph? I don't want to waste my time with a lemon if no one wants one XD And thanks for reading!

As always, flames are always welcome ;D


	5. Dinner and a show

A/N longest chapter yet! WOOT!! I thank everyone fer reading and I REALLY thank the people who left the feedback :D It keeps me going~! And Im sorry this one took like, 4 months to upload. I've been so active on YouTube making videos with my friends that my time has run away from me. D: (/lileyith)

Replies:

Admiral Sanchez -- okay, yes, haha, my writing goes kinda all over the place. I could never EVER be a novelist or anything like that. Im not consistent D: Hopefully this chapter has a bit more plot XD wawa~!

1914000 -- yer awesome, did you know that? XDDD Yes, that is exactly how I've been trying to get them. I dont know how much I'm failing at it tho D: I just want to go and write the love scenes and thats it XD But I gotta think of some plot, ya know?

Texcatlipoka -- yer review made me smile :D Im so relieved I dont over flower-ize. It's good that I have a balance then? XD Yay!! Thank you :3

BUNNEYH -- ;D You and I are alike. Hopefully, this chapter is love-dovey enough fer you XD I got some action going on but not too much. I feel almost embarrassed writing porn-fiction, HAHA XD :D

Rockaholick -- wootwoot! Im glad to provide :D I hope ya like this chapter XD And I really hope I haven't made any faults.

* * *

**Reflecting Reality Chapter Five**

Holding an air of confidence about her, Marie paraded into the bright street dramatically. From a bird's eye view, any Runner could spot her in a moment; and as Faith looked down onto the street, she knew something was going down. Pushing a car-door shut, Alec's hot face reflected the sun across the street with extreme clarity. He looked tired and worn; his job was to blame for his rugged appearance. When the two approached each other, Faith leaned further off the edge of the building with interest. As soon as Marie opened her mouth, the Runner realized her non-super human hearing and shuffled down to an overpass to examine the two of them closer.

Alec White nodded as Marie spoke, cringing slightly as he took in her words but still closely reading Marie's expressions. On the other hand, Marie looked happier in her silent explanation of current events. She smiled and giggled, squeezing Alec's shoulder with her hand when she had the chance, and confirmed her remarks with a flip of her head. Faith swooped in closer to catch small snippets of words thrown between the two, but the message was still unclear, "I know...but you think...that's not...," Marie's voice sounded much heavier than her face made it out to be. Alec sounded out of it, confused, "What?...why would you...we can...no, please." It only took Faith a few more snippets of words to realize Marie was breaking up with him. Harsh.

A few more feet down the street, a blue car came whizzing past the couple on the sidewalk and honked. They both turned to look at the shiny car with surprise, but Alec's face soon turned to bright reassurance. Before they could respond to the car's hello, it squeaked into a parking building a hundred feet away and the two of them looked at each other apprehensively. Faith took this opportunity to get closer to the action, taking a ladder down to an alleyway near by the two, she moved out towards the street silently, putting her back on the wall of a brink building. Although the air was hot, the brink felt cold from its shadowed life. "No, Alec, don't," Marie said slowly. "Please understand...I did it for a reason. Your view on how the world should be is screwy."

Alec looked at her sternly, then pulled away from her grasp with a hard expression. She moped a little, then recomposed her face. All the while Faith waited silently for their conversation to continue; hiding in the shadows and waiting was what she could do best, other than running that is. She wondered about the little blue car, then her mind shifted to the parking ramp only a few blocks away. Her ear buzzed with a few orders from Merc, she then shifted uncomfortably and ducked further into the shadows, "Their breaking up, Merc," she said quietly into her ear piece, looking up at the blue sky over head. "Marie told Alec about what happened at Gan--,"

Faith stopped mid sentence when she noticed the eerie silence coming from the street. Although she had distanced herself from the couple to prevent her whispers to travel, she had a strange sense of paranoia creep up her back and the sudden silence made her blood pulse. Merc sounded uneasy in her ear, asking her quietly--as if someone could hear him too--what was going on. All around her a loud siren began ripping through the air. Feeling troubled enough, Faith hopped back up to the rooftops quickly and lashed herself behind an electric-power box. "Shit Faith, it figures this would happen," Merc said to her with a voice full of stress. "Marie is ditching Alec, yada-yada, but did you see how he reacted?" Faith crawled slowly out from behind her hiding spot and peered over the edge of the building. It made sense that Mercury was being over-cautious with their break up; Alec had a history of going bonkers when his pride was damaged--not that she should know about that. Faith reminded herself of the task at hand and noticed both Marie and Alec were walking towards the parking ramp. With a sudden explosion of confidence, Faith ignored the blaring sirens coming from the south and juggled herself down to the streets below yet again. It was risky to run into the lower sunlight of the city, but there were not enough footholds scattered between her building and the parking ramp to make an easy trip. She settled for the streets.

When Merc jolted cautions in her ear, she pushed them aside and darted around the corner of the building into the main sunlight of the pavement. The air felt hotter on the ground to Faith and she sifted her memory of the last time she took this normal traveling-route last. Her mind was running blank.

Only ten feet from the parking ramp now; Faith saw the tail end of Marie and Alec fade into the dark interior of the first floor. The musty smell of gasoline filtered though her senses and she almost let out a cough. When she scooted closer to the entry way, she heard Alec's shrill voice bounce off the deep walls of the building, then back and forth across the lots, creating a distant echo of annoyance and forced confusion. A car door slammed shut, another pair of shoes shuffled on the pavement, and Faith looked around the edge to the three characters looking at each other solemnly.

"Is she the one?" The man from the blue car asked loudly, his voice banging against the walls.

Alec kept his eyes looking at the mystery man but put a hand on Marie's shoulder. "Vasillis' daughter."

"Perfect" the man replied slowly while a smile edged its way onto his face; it oddly didn't fit. "Well then, you know what to do."

Alec nodded and moved his hand from her shoulder to wrap around her arm. She tensed and shot her sight to her former-boyfriend with questions almost forming on her lips.

Faith shook out of the concentration on the odd three and ducked around the corner quickly into the darkness. She slithered behind cars until she was on the other side of the group with Marie facing her. Before she could recognize the meaning of this meeting, Alec had scooped a disgruntled Marie from her feet and nodded towards the car door for the man to open. He quickly obliged and opened the rear-door warmly, placing his hand out to motion where to put her. His smile was growing bigger. Faith's eye brows propped high onto her forehead, trying to conclude the reason for the captivity of Marie. She nearly found herself smirking too, watching this girl who treated Faith so brashly back at Ganner Tech. and wondered what she did to deserve this weird kid-napping.

"What the hell, Alec?!" Marie screeched as she struggled against his surprising strength for a short man. "You have got to be kidding me! What's going on? If this is about Jack then you can just stop because nothing--" her shouts were muffled as the car door shut into her face.

"Two birds with one stone." The man said triumphantly as he took Alec's hand with his own. The two shared a moment of peace, then the man with the blue car turned and opened the driver's door. "You sure you don't want a ride?" His question referred to a previous talk they must have taken part in.

"I'm sure."

The man nodded, then dropped into the driver's seat and before closing the door he said one more thing, "I owe you one." And then he peeled out of the parking ramp, nearly hitting a Taurus on the way. Alec stood in the same spot for a moment, watching the blue car turn onto the bright street and out of sight. He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and groaned. Just then, Faith's quick arms shot from either side of his head and clung around his neck. She knew he was strong, but not when she had him from behind. She kicked into the backs of his knees and he fell to the dirty pavement with a huff. She followed him down with her arms still tightly wrapped around his neck as he squirmed and croaked.

"Killing birds is illegal in this city. Especially when we have so little," Faith chimed into his ear, tightening the hold on his neck. He gripped her arms with his hands and tried to pry her off of him; he was running out of air to hold. She then loosened her grip enough to allow him speech.

"What--who?" He wasn't getting it.

Mercury clicked into her ear, "Jacknife is on the way, hold him off for a few more minutes, Faith."

"Come on, we both know who I am, who you are, who she was." Faith liked playing with him; she could almost hear the gears click into motion in his brain as he thought for answers. "Who was that man?" "Damn it to hell I'm telling you!" Alec spat out, his struggle weakened and so did Faith's hold on him. She wondered briefly if he actually recognized her voice. "Let go of me!" They struggled with each other for another moment when Alec whipped his elbow deep into her gut. Faith doubled and Alec wiggled out from her grasp. "Bitch," he spat.

Faith patted her stomach softly but took no time to reach for Alec again, he was ready this time and snagged her arms into a hold of his own. The situation was now reversed.

"Stupid, stupid...," Alec trailed off as he caught his breath. "Stupid runners and their damn eavesdropping." In less than a second, Faith felt a cold pressure against her right temple. "You know what this is...I can blow your brains out sooner than any runner could snatch you back. Do you like how it feels?" Faith stiffened and waited, thinking that cooperation was best suited for this situation. In this position, she was stuck beneath his meaty arms.

"Not so fast, bub," a new voice bellowed into the parking ramp with a loud echo. Alec froze and silenced his threats. "Don't shoot the pretty ones; what would that leave us then?" In the deep fright Faith held, a relief broke throughout her body. Jacknife was with her now. "Let her go."

Faith felt the absence of the gun from her temple and then sensed Alec's arms droop. She spun around and saw Jacknife's very own 9x19 handgun pressed firmly to Alec's scalp. He was smiling at her pleasantly. "Good man, good man." The gun slipped from the back of Alec's head and was placed snugly into Jack's jacket.

They all shared a silent moment when Alec turned around to face the triumphant Jacknife and Faith gave a small smirk back to her partner in crime. The parking ramp echoed nothing but their footsteps and the puffs of their breath. It almost began to feel like a friendly meeting in Faith's opinion. Jacknife took a step forward to Alec with his hand close to the 9x19 and stared him hard in the face. Alec looked annoyed more than scared and he flicked his own gun with his forefinger. "We can discuss this civily, can't we?" Jack asked Alec. He did not receive an answer, only another flick to Alec's gun. "I suppose not."

Faith could feel the tension surging around them. She thought of their only connection: Marie, and how this one girl could create such a huge rift between the two older men. Marie wasn't even attractive. Alec looked tired, but alert, and Jack reflected the same features with a younger version. Faith looked closely at Jack's angular face and the tattoo that ran along his neck and up the left side of his face. His dark hair and eyes looked even darker from the absense of light in the parking building. Feeling like a small bird was fluttering around her lungs, Faith could only watch them duke it out with their hands floating over their guns and their faces gleaming with determination.

Jacknife continued the conversation, "Why not explain to the poor girl who that was."

Faith watched Alec place the gun by his side. He relaxed for a moment and then sighed. With his free hand, he pinched the tight skin in between his eyebrows and began to respond, then stopped himself and turned towards Faith. "Clyde Russo," Faith had the suspicions this was a phony name, but she kept listening despite of her senses. "He...doesn't like Vasillis. And after today's events, I can't elaborate enough how much Marie...has...changed." Alec was picking his words wisely, slowly beating around the real meat and only giving Faith the side salad. Faith didn't mind his lack of information, she had seen everything she needed to know of Alec's new found annoyance towards Marie. She didn't mind that. Not one bit.

"Keep it coming," Jack piped, watching Faith with contentment.

Alec sneered at him but shrugged on to continue "Nothing to lose, I suppose. Russo and Vasillis go long back, childhood friends--enemies--to say the least. Nothing more than that. Just jealous hatred for one another."

"We all know that is not all," came from Jack, egging him on.

Silence from Alec, the gears clicked in his brain, then he spoke again, "Once Russo got word of Vasillis' drop in income, he found his opportunity to get back at him, for whatever reason, and what does he want to do? Take his pride and joy, his lovely, sniveling, runner-lover of a daughter. Not that I'm complaining, she deserves it." He made sure to add the last line for good measure. "And here we are, the after effect of a civil kidnapping for the greater good." Faith found herself nodding and Jacknife threw her a quizzical look. He then cleared his throat and came forward to pat Alec on the shoulder.

"Thanks man, now that we have her up to snuff, we'll be leaving." He swept over to Faith and cooed at her with his voice. "Let's go check on Merc and the USB drive we got the other day." Jacknife looked over to confused Alec, his gears began to click with the new information. "Come on, we don't want to be around this man once he realizes he's been duped." Faith began to see red blotches spread across Alec's face, and then his gun was positioned upwards, to where Jacknife was standing only a moment before. And Faith felt herself be swept away by her partner in crime, out of the parking ramp and towards the sky when a delayed shot rang out from Alec's gun into the dense, summer air.

***

Ducking into Merc's lair with ease, Faith laughed along to Jack's retelling of their adventure. She loved working with him, because not only did he make the job fun, but she enjoyed being in his presence; which, a few weeks ago, would never have crossed her mind as a fun time. Jacknife sprawled out onto the beaten, red mattress of a couch and sighed his tension away. Faith looked around the small space quickly to see any sign of Mercury, he wasn't there. She played with her ear piece and asked, "Didn't Merc say he was waiting for us?" She thought of the conversation she had with him only moments before on their way to accompany him and finally get a look at the USB drive together.

"Weren't you listening? Faithy...ha, you should be faster at this. Runner's are quick in more ways then one."

Faith mocked him and sat down beside him on the couch, which provided not much room for two people. "Well, what did he say that I obviously didn't hear? Because, you know, I'm always zoning out when important information should be heard," she teased, rocking back onto the couch to get comfortable. Jack twisted to face her, took her by the shoulders and smiled.

"Listen carefully now, I will not repeat myself." The high from the escape of Alec's temper still played lightly on Faith's nerve-endings. She giggled, then stopped herself after realizing how out of character she felt. But she kept a smile none-the-less. "Merc said he went out to snatch a victory pizza. Such a nice guy, huh?" Faith smiled harder thinking of the pizza and the laughing and the hurrahs. She shifted her body upwards to trot around the small hideout in a sort of victory-walk. Her feet were itching to start moving again and the wait for Merc to return made her bones jump. She spotted a shiny CD resting on a desktop near the large mass of computer screens. She picked it up and examined it thoughtfully. "Dinner and a show."

"That's right, Faithy, nothing better than food and fun information to suck up into our brains." He watched her open the drive to slip the CD in. "Good thing Merc put it on here too, in case the USB was taken magically," Jacknife smiled and stood up next to Faith to get a better look. "But let's not start until he comes back." the CD was taken out from the drive and placed back on the table. Faith peered over to him and saw a fast flit of nerves pass over Jacknife's face, but they were swept away quickly. He suddenly closed the foot between them and took Faith into his arms. She felt surprised, a feeling which she rarely felt, and flustered. Without thinking, she pushed him away from her; the blood pulsed unevenly in her body. Jacknife threw her a concerned look, then ignored her reaction and sprang to her again. She let him hold her, thinking that it was the least she could do, even though her body felt too buzzed to hug him back, and too embarrassed to think clearly, she let him indulge himself.

She breathed heavily into his hair, so close that she could smell him and so close that she could feel his own blood swell against his skin. She suddenly craved Jacknife and she didn't protest when he pushed his hands against her tank-top and down to her waist. He held her as if he never felt like letting go. She let the waves of embarrassment flood away and replaced it with something deeper and stronger. Jacknife shifted his weight against Faith and breathed softly in her ear. She felt warm and light, the same feeling that showered her after a triumphant cat and mouse chase. He was resting his arms around her back now, making small rotations with his hands against her tank-top and still breathing so slowly that it made Faith's skin crawl. After a long moment of content silence he stepped back away from her and marveled. Faith looked down, feeling flustered and uncomfortable from his sudden stare. He took his hand and snatched her chin so she would look into his eyes.

"Confused, aren't you?" Jack smirked and hung his head closer to her face. "Let's see how long that'll last."

The tips of their noses brushed first, and then the fraction of a distance between their lips closed slowly. They kissed. It was not enough, Faith thought, and she dove in further against Jack's lips. He responded fiercely with his own strength and took his hand from her chin and placed it at the back of her neck. They fumbled around each other, not separating their lips at any cost; Faith moved her hands around Jacknife's waist and felt the fabric of his jacket slide past her fingers. This moment had been hiding away in Faith's mind, inching it's way out until she couldn't take the lack of contact with Jack anymore. He was what she was looking for, and now, she felt high.

[!!!Warning: Lemon-esq love between Jack and Faith follows until break in text. Do not read if you are uncomfortable with anything more than fluff. Nothing too in-deph, but more than fluff. Half a lemon, if you will.]

Jacknife let go from the kiss leaving Faith feeling unsatisfied, she was about to make a clever remark when he kissed the corners of her mouth, then down past her chin and onto her neck. Her eyes widened with shock and she arched her head backwards to give Jack more skin to touch. They slinked back onto the couch as he played with her, kissing and licking her skin lightly and traveling further down to her nape then collar bone. She tensed and then forced herself to relax as he cupped a free hand around her breast and and squeezed gently. Faith buckled and let out a small moan which only made Jack's confidence grow. He took his left hand and placed it on her hip, then slid it upwards carrying her tank-top up past her belly button, then her rib cage, and finally her chest. Faith felt oddly cold in the warm evening heat, but she passed the feeling on, concentrating on more important feelings passing through her body.

The touch from Jack's rough hands on Faith's bare skin gave her a new sort of high, she fell out of tune with her senses, but she also felt more in control of her mind. Jack removed her tank top entirely and grasped onto her waist with both hands; their lips met again. This kiss was strong, pushing them both back and forth in a struggle of control. Feeling too submissive, Faith swung herself on top of Jacknife and shoved him down so he was down on the couch, facing up at her. Grabbing his blue shirt with her fists, she kissed him harder and began noticing the heat radiating from his skin. She helped him take off his jacket, then shirt, in hope to cool him down.

"Ah, Faithy," Jack mumbled, wrapping his fingers into her short hair. Faith smiled and traced her hands over his defined shoulders and pecs, breathing in to help settle her heart and loosening her muscles to make her feel less tense.

"I'm not confused anymore," Faith pointed out, dipping in low to kiss along side his tattoo.

"Far from it," Jack replied. He propped himself up and kissed her. The setting sun-light streamed into the hideout, across the computer monitors and spilled over Faith and Jack as they kissed deeply. "Now, let the show begin."

***

Later into the night, Faith and Jacknife awoke to a loud clunk near the hideout. Faith thought of Merc immediately, than dozed back into her dreamless sleep. Jack moved Faith gingerly off his arm and stretched up into a standing position. He grabbed his clothes which were strewn all over the room and slipped them on. He looked at the USB drive connected to a hard drive, popped it out and pocketed it. Then he focused his attention on the CD lying on the desk. The gleam from the moonlight replaced the previous setting sun-light and crawled in through the partly shaded windows, bounced off the CD and played on the walls and across Faith's sleeping face.

Jacknife took the CD in both his hands, paused for a moment, then snapped it in half. He turned to face Faith. "Thanks for playing, Faithy," he whispered, then leaped up to the vent at the top of the hideout out into the darkness to greet the man he had been waiting for all night.

* * *

A/N Jacknife you naughty, naughty JERK DX Not the CD! Oh no, whats gunna happen next? :o (I actually have the last chapter all straightened out. I just have to write it.) So, just one more chapter and then I hope to spit out an epilogue too. We'll see. XD yay!! And I hope I got people happy with the love scene between Jack and Faith. Some said they didn't want too much (hence the warning. Honestly, the chapter could go on without the sex-ish scene.) but others said they wanted it all. XD Since it seemed to be more votes for action, I wrote some. But jeesh, it's hard writing that stuff o.O I feel all embarrassed. ^///^

As always, flames are always welcome ;)


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